Toyota100: The Toyota Century Forum

Hi,

I'm new to the forum and Century ownership. I've owned my '97 for about a month now and its been having a few issues but the main one is that every now and then the car will shut off when I come to a complete stop, or the electronics will reset themselves as though the car just shut off and on but the engine will stay on throughout that, or recently the car just refused to turn on at all as though the battery were dead, but then after a few minutes the car was able to be started.

I had heard that the alternators are known to go out on these cars so I checked that first with my multimeter and it seems to be the culprit but I will be testing other things like the battery and fuses while I wait for replies to my real question here, which is: is there any other alternator from Toyota's catalogue that would fit in this car?

Like from an LS400 or maybe a Tundra or Land Cruiser of this same model year? If I really cant find anything else, then where can I get an alternator for a '97 Century? Or maybe the one that is already in there can be fixed?

Hi there - I have a feeling there's another alternator that you can swap the pulley on... not sure if you're on the Facebook group but there's quite a long thread about this topic here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1547591 ... 814137697/

One quick thing on your diagnosis - the easiest way to check if your alternator is working is to measure the voltage straight across the car battery when the car is not running (which should be about 11.7v) and then when it's running (at which point it should be 13.5 or so). If the battery is reading 13.5 then your circuit is charging it.

One thing that makes me doubtful about it being the alternator: You said it refused to turn on, but started after a few minutes... if your alternator isn't working, your battery just goes flat. What you have sounds much more like a dead battery or a loose connection somewhere. I know it sounds dumb, but are both of the battery terminals firmly attached to the battery?

Thank you,

Checking the battery is what I have planned next, I'm just glad someone tried to use a separate alternator and it worked. I actually just joined the facebook page, I just feel like this forum is easier to find answers.

Also, I actually did check the voltage with my multimeter before posting, it was at around 12 volts both off and on (closer to 13 volts when on but still under). My multimeter might not be working properly so I am going to head to an auto parts store to have them double check with their own tester.